The Summer I.T.T.: Players to watch

The Summer International Team Tournament is almost here, and with the pairings now confirmed, it's time to turn our attention to the players.

Across 72 teams, hundreds of competitors will be looking to guide their teammates through one of the biggest and most competitive events in the Warhammer calendar.

This article isn't a prediction of the final standings, but rather a look at some of the players we think are particularly well placed to have an outstanding weekend. And the armies they'll be relying on to get there

The Faction breakdown

Let's take a brief look at the meta heading into this weekend. Emperor's Children lead the field as the most-played faction, with melee armies making a huge statement across the event. Orks, Adeptus Custodes and other combat-focused forces are all heavily represented, showing that many players are looking to leverage speed, board control and aggressive pressure under the new mission pack. You can read our full faction breakdown here.

Ben Jones - Vanguard Tactics

Ben Jones returns to the UKTC circuit as one of the players everyone will be watching this weekend. Currently sitting second in the UKTC Rankings, he's put together an outstanding season and will be looking to close the gap at the top. A strong performance here could prove crucial in the race for the number one spot.

Ben's List

Ghazghkull Thraka and a Painboy leading a group of 20 boyz

Beastboss leading a group of 10 Beast Snagga Boyz

Warboss and a Painboy leading 20 boyz

Warboss leading a squad of 5 Breaka Boyz

Zodgrod Worstnagga leading 20 gretchins

Wazdakka Gutsmek

1x Gretchins x10

1x Kommandos x10

1x Squighog Boyz x10

Running Freebooter Krew as the main detachment to boost hit volume, paired with Painboyz in key units for extra survivability, Ben built a list ready to hit hard and flood key objectives fast, using his units' high OC to make it much harder to retake any objectives he flips

The Beastboss joined by a unit of Beast Snagga Boyz also finds a much more favorable environment with the Equatorial Horde Detachment. The ability to advance quickly onto objectives lets this combo reach melee sooner and more consistently, where the Beastboss delivers the heavy hit power needed to clear high-toughness threats while the Boyz keep up pressure across the board

Ross Tully - Hobby Henchmen

Another Top 10 player joins this team tournament, this time representing Hobby Henchmen. Ross brings an uncommon list: Imperial Agents heavy on Deathwatch units. It's going to be interesting to see how his games play out, given the list's originality and his high-level competitive skill.

Ross's List

Inquisitor Draxus leading a group of Deathwatch Kill Team x10

2x Watch Master leading a group of Deathwatch Kill Team x10

Rogue Trader Entourage leading a group of 5 Voidsmen-at-arms

Eversor Assassin

Navigator

Vindicare Assassin

3x Deathwatch Kill Team x5

2x Corvus Blackstar

Voidmen-at-arms x5

Combining Inquisitor Draxus with the ability to rapidly embark on a transport (in this case, the Corvus Blackstar) allows Ross to leverage the skills of both Draxus and his Deathwatch on specific targets, only to pull the unit back into safety before lining up their next strike

Additionally, running a Watch Master alongside the rest of the Deathwatch Kill Teams will give him massive mobility in an edition where movement is so crucial.

He's definitely an interesting player to watch this weekend: not just because of his skill, but because of the unique list he chose to bring.

Craig Bedford - Carnage

Craig brings an Emperor's Children list to represent Carnage in this tournament. Joining the growing wave of players opting for the faction this time around, Craig packed a list featuring a solid lineup of classic faction units.

Craig's List

3x Lord Exultant leading a group of 5 Infractors

Lucius the Eternal leading a group of 3 Flawless Blades

Infractors x5

2x Tormentors x5

Chaos Rhino

Chaos Spawn

2x Defiler

2x Flawless Blades x3

Despite a string of recent nerfs, Defilers remain relevant in competitive lists. Craig is bringing two of them, showing that the Defiler still has plenty of play left.

With the ability to gain hit bonuses against units below half-strength, these Defilers will let him finish off tough targets to secure his Pledges of the Dark Prince, buffing his entire army as the battle rounds progress.

Its all happening

If you are coming this weekend, we look forward to welcoming you, if not we hope to see you virtually in our official livestream on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UKTCTV

If you have missed out this event, you can get your ticket to our upcoming events in our web store, it is always advisable to buy as early as you can to make sure you end up stuck on the waitlist.

Shop Now: https://www.uktc.events/shop